The Escambia County Commission voted Thursday to continue paying the salary of the First Judicial Circuit Medical Examiner until January.

The commission voted 3-0 Thursday night, without remark, to continue paying Dr. Andrea Minyard and her company as the medical examiner.

County Attorney Alison Rogers told commissioners Thursday morning at their agenda conference that she was recommending a 60-day extension for Minyard as the Florida Medical Examiner's Commission meeting set for November had been postponed.

"We do not know when they're planning to reconvene," Rogers said. "That was canceled supposedly due to hurricane recovery efforts in Tallahassee."

Minyard has been medical examiner since 2004 and her term ran out in June. Her reappointment ran into issues when Okaloosa County, one of the four counties in the First Judicial Circuit, raised questions about her personal salary.

Minyard sued all four counties — Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton — to stop the disclosure of how much money she makes, asserting that the money paid separately by the four counties went to her company Gulf Coast Autopsy Physicians, and what the company paid her was private information.

Maynard's contract expired Oct. 1, but after negotiations, she agreed to continue in the office. The counties are collectively paying $425,000 to fund Minyard's salary and an assistant medical examiner.

Appointing a new medical examiner can take several months as the state medical examiner's commission has to meet, form a selection committee, interview candidates and vote on a final candidate to recommend to the governor, who has the final say on the appointment.

"Termination of the medical examiner’s duties without an adequate replacement will create turmoil for the criminal justice system," Eddins said. "It will severely impact public safety in the First Judicial Circuit."